Ruben Amorim has warned his Manchester United players that nobody will remember the losers from Wednesday’s Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao.
Amorim believes it’s a game United simply have to win, and admits that even victory at the San Mames won’t be enough to repay their fans after a dreadful Premier League season.
The Portuguese coach has first-hand experience of losing in the final of this competition after playing in the Benfica team that lost on penalties to Sevilla in 2014 after a goalless draw in Turin.
‘Something that I learned as a player is you need to win,’ said Amorim. ‘Nobody is going to say ‘I was a finalist’, especially in this kind of club. So we need to win the final.
‘It’s really important, massive for us, and we want to give that to our fans. It’s a mixed feeling. I’m really excited but, at the same time, I know my responsibility as a Manchester United coach.
‘I have always that feeling of frustration for the season, so I want really bad to help the team to win this final. We’ve got to give something to the club, to the fans, to the staff, to everybody.
Ruben Amorim says nobody will remember the losers of Wednesday’s Europa League final
The Red Devils are looking to end what has been a difficult season with a piece of silverware
Amorim says that a victory won’t be enough to repay fans for their support this season
‘It’s hard. It’s not enough, winning the Europa League. It’s not enough for all the support the fans gave us this season.
‘They will go swimming (to Bilbao) if needed to, even without a ticket! I already know. A big thank you for everything they did during the season. We will do our best to give something to them.’
Despite his background as a player, Amorim isn’t worried about the prospect of telling some of his players they won’t be starting at the San Mames – or haven’t even made the squad.
‘Of course, it’s not a good thing for any player to hear that but I’m quite comfortable with that, it’s my job,’ he added.
‘We’ve had a lot of players out through injury. So it doesn’t matter if you play one minute in the final. Of course, you want to play 90 minutes, but the important thing is to win.
‘If we win, all the players are going to win this final and they all played in the Europa League.
‘When you are a player, you just think about doing your job and trying to win it. This is different. You have to prepare the team, to help the staff, to say the right things before the game. All these things are really important as a manager.’